It's so weird to be on this side looking at some of these responses. They just make me want to kinda scream. I see the responses of well if you do
nothing wrong you have nothing to worry about.

Well I have been a law abiding citizen my whole life. I mean really law abiding, no criminal activity, and I have always stayed within the bounds of
the law, and yet my privacy right now is being invaded to such a degree that it's unreal.

My computer, phone, Internet, home, and where I work are monitored. I find that overnight, my city has become one big giant Statsi state. Every corner
has a snitch. On the train, in the mall, the food court, my workplaces, they are crawling with snitches. I don't even know when my city became a
Stasi state, all I know is that most of my fellow citizens are snitching and spying, and that just about everyone is going along with this, without
realising what they are really taking part in. It's disgusting.

I can tell you that you are wrong, you don't have to be a criminal to have these people come and mess up your life. You don't have to be a criminal
to have your life turned into the movie the lives of others. There are hundreds, if not thousands of people around the world, like myself who have
woken up to find that their lives are being interfered with in these little ways, where we are being stalked and monitored by our state, country,
city, whatever. Many have no idea why. Most that I talked to have not done anything that they are aware of that would put them in the way of a covert
investigation.

Yet our rights, our freedoms have been trampled on, and it's not clear why. So when I hear these opinions about oh only criminals have to worry, I
just want to scream, because they are so ignorant, and it's so where my mentality would have been a year ago, before I became aware of what's
happening.

Your rights are being taken away, soon if you express an unpopular opinion, not unlike the school teacher who was fired because she honks for peace,
you could also find yourself, stalked and monitored by the state, or declared an enemy combatant. Most people naively think this could never happen. I
thought and felt that way a year ago. I was where you are, my thinking was the same, and I can tell you that you are dead wrong. There are things
happening that are just so unbelievable, it's hard to express in words.

You do not have to be a criminal, and you should be worried about your rights slipping away, the monitoring, the surveillance. It's all being put in
place for what is coming down the line. A global community, society whatever, controlled by the Powers that be, using us to monitor and spy on us.
There is no other way you could ever hope to control a world population, except by the monitoring that is coming in, be it ccv cameras, verichip, rif
chip, snitches and civilian spies. Just like the movie V 4 Vendetta. They scare you just a little bit, and you give up your rights and your freedoms,
so willingly.

You don't get it, and you most likely won't get it till it's either too late, or till it happens to you, but even if it does, you will most likely
just sit back and comply. That's what these people count on, and have been able to count on, and from what I have seen of human nature, and human
will, they have every right to think and feel this way, and I am just so sad, because mentality wise, less than a year ago, this is where I was also,
and I also would not have listened to those people who tried to explain the fact that it was otherwise.

People will not wake up until they are ready to, I get that, and it's a shame, because we really need to wake up and understand the bigger picture,
because there are so many forces at work, and things happening, that will affect everyone of us, sooner than later. It's all happening seemingly so
slowly, yet you wake up and you are surrounded by living, breathing, mind-warped, zombie snitches, and your whole society has changed over night.
People willingly give up their rights and freedoms, and don't even question when things like this happen.

In a democratic society, you have a right to your privacy and freedom. You have a right for the state to not monitor your calls, your Internet
activity, you have a right. Maybe you have just forgotten that, because you are scared, and they have presented a boogie monster that made you forget
that for a time, but people need to remember that these are the rights we have in a democratic society, and when we loose those rights, we loose who
we were as a people, society and country.

I look around me, and I think this is how it must have been in the former East Germany, but no one seems to be upset or angry about it, or even
questioning it. Most people seem to think it's great. Oh don't get me wrong, I see the ones who don't like what's happening, but they are too
scared, to say or do anything about it. I don't blame them, but if you don't speak up now, then when will you? After you are chipped and tagged, and
your homes are monitored as well as your outside activities?

Google now wants to listen to your conversations that you have in your home, for marketing purposes, via the microphones in your computers, if the
government has not beat them to it, and google also wants to psychologically profile gamers online. It would almost be funny, If I was not so
alarmingly aware of the bigger picture, not only aware of it, but in a place where I can be accepting of the truth of it.

I think ATS is one of the most intelligent places on the Internet, and if some of the people here don't get what's happening, or what's coming down
the line, I wonder if anyone else will?

I can't stand how the old "if you have nothing to hide, then why worry about it?" ploy is used on something like this every single time. We may not
have something to hide, but that doesn't mean we want people watching us anyways.

May 14th is the official deadline for cable modem
companies, DSL providers, broadband over powerline,
satellite internet companies and some universities to finish
wiring up their networks with FBI-friendly surveillance gear,
to comply with the FCC's expanded interpretation of the
Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act.

lol............it does work both ways. The FBI have been hacking my puter for years because I was involved in an online investigation. I think this
is good and bad..............it is bad in that you will have more of your privacy taken away, it is good in that a lot of criminal activity is taking
place online. If they can make a dent in the sex trade, child pornography, hackers..........I am all for it. Like some have said, if you aren't
doing anything illegal you have nothing to worry about because they don't have enough manpower to monitor the average citizens online activities just
for the hell of it.

Originally posted by hikix
This topic should be alot more popular then it is, this is the first time ive geard about this. Should i be concerned about getting heavily fined for
downloading music????

Are you paying for the service? I agree flag away here!

Cale you don't get it, this is clearly a invasion of privacy. Would you want someone eves dropping on you during a purchase online or something? Or
even talking to a friend?

[edit on 5/14/2007 by Leyla]

i can see where you are coming from on this and i too don't really like the idea but there could be an upside if it is used for it's intended
purpose (catching the bad guys).

we will really have to worry when they start pushing for more latitude in their investigations(forget the old "bum rush on the wrong address
mistakes"), soon ppl will be getting hauled in for just (trash talking) in a chat room or in emails.

then again it could and probably will become a logistical nightmare(can you imagine the extra funding the computer crimes divisions will be asking for
to support this lol) and who is gonna pay for it (you guessed it ) WE ARE!!! another CASH COW for surveillance budgets.

I can't stand how the old "if you have nothing to hide, then why worry about it?" ploy is used on something like this every single time. We
may not have something to hide, but that doesn't mean we want people watching us anyways.

I can't stand it either, but I guess some people are just exhibitionists. If you don't have anything to hide, you won't mind us installing cameras
in your bedroom. The same sorts of people probably would find nothing objectionable about it.

My computer is suppose to be private, just like my phone calls, just like my goings in my home. We need our privacy to feel human. It's why people go
away, when you have to live under a microscope the whole time, it takes away something.

It's not about doing anything wrong, it's about our rights to our privacy. I feel sorry for the one's who think it's about anything else, and who
really still think that if you do nothing wrong, you will never have a problem. I lived my life that way, and for what?

Hi Jillian_Bacardi.

Like some have said, if you aren't doing anything illegal you have nothing to worry about because they don't have enough manpower to monitor
the average citizens online activities just for the hell of it.

Sorry I guess in my first post I probably forgot to mention. I have literally never to my knowledge done anything illegal in my life. Yet I am being
watched, stalked and monitored.

I am guessing many in the former East Germany felt the same way you do, until they had files opened up on them and they were watched, stalked and
monitored.

Also they don't have to monitor every body. They just use computers to catch phrases, and strings, just like they did when they illegally listened
into phone calls.

Apparently they don't have enough time, but they are going after bloggers, and that takes time to read what someone has posted, so obviously they do
have the time. Also if you blog the wrong thing they will go after you, so what makes you think that you have to do anything wrong for these people to
go after you?

The following factual chronology of the changes we have seen in the last 100 years documents the slippery slope of discoveries, industrial
developments, government actions, and accumulating health problems.

Originally posted by Leyla
Unbelievable... We are not criminals!!!! Why don't they hunt for the real crooks instead of stalking us.

If you aren't a criminal, then you have nothing to worry about! What a cop-out. That phrase pisses me off to high heaven. Deny ignorance! They
are using the excuse that this is the only way to weed out criminals from law abiding citizens. What a bunch of BS.

I agree completely. I have nothing illegal in my car or home but I woulnd't allow a consent search either. If they have probable cause they don't
need my permission ... depending on the circumstances they can search on their own choosing or get a judge to sign off on a warrant and then
search.

If they don't have enough "evidence" to develop any PC then too bad, go find a real crime to investigate.

They are just making it 'legal' to do what was already happening to us. I know this from experience as I am under 24/7 surveillance and my computer
activity has been monitored for years as well.
I am an activist for the ever growing world wide phenomenon known as gang stalking/organized group stalking.
Debbie

The US inteligence agencies have been 'eavesdropping' for years on their own people, and those of other nations.

So what if they see all you do? Many hackers watch over all of us anyway, and if you use the 'public domain' service like the internet, then expect
zero privacy, regardless of the best intended anti virus software.

Anything you download, especially from dubious sources such as free music sites could be liable to have add-on software piggy backing onto the
download as well.

Once installed into your computer, it is impossible to delete, and then your software, personal files and much more can be downloaded when you next
surf online.

Those saying that you don't do any wrong wrong so your not worried, contemplate this.., your being here and actively participating in a website
which has content that directly questions our governments and their wyas,

Though harmless fun for us, this type of action could be considered as a 'threat' to governments, as we are challenging them, so could be considered
as likely dissenters, even of we are not.

Originally posted by Blaine91555
This should not be cause for concern to law abiding people.

Oh please!!! I echo what some others have said about this cop-out stance. This sort of view is so blinkered and massively dis-empowering IMHO - for
one, it relies on agreeing that what the law says is right and wrong IS actually right and wrong - can't we make our OWN minds up?

Right now in the UK more and more things are becoming 'illegal' and dissent of our government's views/behaviour is fast approaching the point of
being 'against the law': (see Brian Haw and that geezer who got forcibly chucked out of the 'Labour' conference for a couple of examples). This is
ironic, because we end up SERVING the people we elect, while this farce is played out that it's the other way around!

It's these sort of short-sighted views that contribute permissive energy to society, and help allow the easy transition into 1984.... Is that what we
want? Do you ACTUALLY BELIEVE that your government acts in your best interest? Where's the experiential evidence?....

well an invasion of privacy by any outher name I hate how the goverment thinks they can do what they want in the name of the war on terror wholy crap
I cant wate to get out of the army and move to a nice quite place like well there is no ware you can go that big bro aint watching so i guess ill just
reenlist and deal with it in fact I will not be suprised if I get questiond about my post's on this web site

I love when people say that it shouldn't be a problem because if you're not a criminal, you have nothing to worry about. Maybe those people don't
know that we have all been defined as terrorists. Look up the Homegrown Terrorism and Violent Radicalization Act and all the vague language contained
therein. Anyone can now be defined as a terrorist, and in the war on terror, that means that you can be shipped off and disappear because they don't
have to charge you, and you don't have the right to a trial--much less a speedy one.

There is a reason that I have a problem with Gitmo and the other secret prison that the CIA has admitted to having. I know that I'm being watched,
and I know that when martial law hits, I will be targeted.

Just brain storming a bit on this, not sure how the FOIA stuff works, but could you file one on yourself just to see if got any 'hits' back...has
anyone tried this?

Like medical records, is there a legal loop-hole we could find that potentially makes any files on ourselves available to us? And if we made a request
for such information and we are told there is none, at a later date if they tried to use anything against us we could say that because we legally
filed to see such items and nothing was provided that anything prior to that was not legally obtained?

This content community relies on user-generated content from our member contributors. The opinions of our members are not those of site ownership who maintains strict editorial agnosticism and simply provides a collaborative venue for free expression.